[2] Sasaeng fans are often female, aged 13 to 22, and may be driven to commit borderline criminal acts in order to gain attention from celebrities.
Examples of such acts include seeking out celebrities at their dorms or homes, spreading rumours, stealing their personal belongings or information, harassing family members, and sending idols gifts such as lingerie.
Although the term sasaeng was coined much later, the obsessive, disruptive fan behavior it designates emerged with the rise of K-pop idol groups and "fandoms" in the 1990s, as noted by local English-language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily in 2001.
[4] There are accounts of such fan behavior prior to the digital era from industry veterans and members of first generation K-pop groups such as H.O.T.
[10] In 2012, a sasaeng reportedly slapped Yoochun, of the boy group JYJ, in the face, justifying herself by saying that the idol would surely remember her from then on.
This includes disguising themselves as stage hands or managers to approach the star, or pretending to be reporters in order to gain entry to a press conference.
The term originated as an allusion to the titular character in the 2000 song "Stan" by American rapper Eminem, which tells the story of an obsessive and delusional fan.
[18] Such methods, costly in terms of both time and money, have resulted in sasaeng fans missing or dropping out of school, sleeping in Internet cafes, or turning to prostitution to cover their sasaeng-related expenses.
[21] The portrayal of sasaeng behavior in the media often attaches fear and stigma to selectively represented actions identified as problematic, including missing school and sleeping in internet cafes to meet with idols.
Sasaeng fan identity and personality is often represented in mass and social media using terms that carry negative connotations and express extremes, such as "crazed", "obsessive", "maniac", "abnormal", "unlikable", "antisocial", "psychotic", "unstable", "delusional", "sociopathic", "deranged", "hostile", and "disturbing".
[2] In 2012, audio of Yoochun and bandmate Jaejoong purportedly shouting at and hitting female fans was uploaded to an online message board.
Yoochun said that sasaeng fans had been following the group for eight years, since they were members of TVXQ, and that the constant surveillance "felt like prison".
[25][26] In 2013, Seungri, formerly of the band Big Bang, suffered minor injuries in a car accident in Shanghai involving a sasaeng fan.
[28] In 2016, Jackson of Got7 sustained minor injuries in an accident on the way to an airport in China that involved a fan closely following his car.
In a July 2018 interview, Brian, a member of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky, stated that packages had been delivered to his personal address and that he was worried not only for himself but for his family, who were also being harassed.
[44] In April 2016, Shinee member Key posted a photo on Instagram of a KakaoTalk group chat of full of foreign fans.
[44] In 2013, the members of band Exo collectively expressed their frustration and disappointment, noting the unfair treatment suffered by "normal" fans often mistaken for sasaengs.
Swing Entertainment, home of the group Wanna One, accused sasaeng fans of causing band members stress on tour in 2018.
[46] Girl group DreamCatcher's agency, Happy Face Entertainment, told sasaengs who had been waiting for members at their scheduled appointments and secretly taking photos and videos to stop such behavior.
D.O., a member of the band Exo, said in an interview that he had developed a "victim mentality" due to sasaengs, and that it had severely affected his public appearances and activities.
[48] On the show Handsome Boys of the 20th Century, first-generation idol singers Eun Ji-won of Sechs Kies and Moon Hee-joon of the band H.O.T also admitted to paranoid feelings whenever they left their homes.
For example, waiting in front of house/office, following, wiretapping, and repeated relationship demands carry a penalty of 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of one million yen.
[53] A sasaeng fan incident involving the band Sanulrim's lead vocalist, Kim Changwan, moved the government to act.
After serving a jail term of 1 year, the fan resumed following the singer, ultimately assaulting him and breaking his nose.
[54] This clause, added to South Korea's Minor Offenses Act in February 2011, was aimed at protecting idols from overzealous fans.
[61] The television series Reply 1997, portraying events in Korean popular culture of the 1990s, recounts the rise of fan obsession with celebrities.